Chapter 34

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Shen Mei sat quietly on the couch, staring down at her coffee. Shen Yu wasn’t exactly beside her—he sat on the plush carpet, his head resting against the sofa, his dark eyes dazed as if he were staring through the ceiling rather than at it. The penthouse was unbearably quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against the ears until it became uncomfortable.

Even the faint ticking of the clock felt intrusive.

She tightened her grip on her cup, trying to gather the courage to break that silence. "Why did you have an extra pair of glasses... you really do love me... hmm?" she asked lightly, forcing a teasing tone.

Shen Yu turned his head slightly, his gaze settling on her. "Who told you otherwise?"

Shen Mei froze for a second, then pouted. "You’re no fun at all..." she muttered, looking away.

He simply rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to the ceiling. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She looked back down at her coffee, noticing again how oversized his hoodie and sweatpants were on her. The sleeves swallowed her hands, and she had tied the waistband as tightly as she could with something she’d found in the house. It didn’t look good... but at least she was dressed.

Silence returned, heavier this time.

She took a slow sip, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He hadn’t moved. His expression was blank, but there was something in his eyes—something distant and heavy, like he was carrying far more than he could handle.

"What happened...?" she asked softly, almost to herself.

But in the stillness, her voice carried clearly.

Shen Yu exhaled and turned his head toward her, his gaze lingering on her face longer than usual. It felt like he was deciding something—whether to speak, whether to trust her. The moment stretched, quiet and tense, until Shen Mei looked away first, pretending to focus on her now-lukewarm coffee.

"What do you think about Alphas, Shen Mei?" he asked suddenly.

The question caught her off guard so badly she nearly choked.

A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind—fear, discomfort, memories she didn’t want to revisit. Alphas were terrifying. Arrogant. Overwhelming. Their pheromones alone could strip away control, suffocate, dominate. Omegas were never truly safe around them, and consent often felt like nothing more than a word without meaning in their presence. They were prideful, territorial... and above all, frightening.

But Shen Mei swallowed all of that down.

"They’re alright... why are you asking that?" she said instead, keeping her tone casual as she turned to him.

Shen Yu smiled faintly, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. There was nothing happy about it.

After a moment, he pushed himself up and walked away without another word, heading up the stairs to the second floor. Shen Mei stared after him, confused, her brows furrowing slightly.

"...What was that supposed to mean?" she muttered.

The quiet returned, heavier than before.

A few minutes later, footsteps echoed again. Shen Yu came back down and walked straight toward her, handing her two sheets of paper without explanation.

She frowned, taking them. "What is this...?"

Her eyes scanned the page—and then widened instantly.

Her fingers tightened. Her hands began to tremble.

She looked up at him, disbelief flooding her expression. "Y-You’re... an A-Alpha... since when?" she stammered.

Shen Yu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned and walked to the kitchen as if it were nothing, pouring himself a cup of dark coffee before returning to sit near the couch again.

"Four days ago," he said at last.

Four days.

Her mind struggled to process it.

He glanced at her frozen expression and gave a faint, almost hollow smile. "Are they still fine... even when it’s your brother who’s an Alpha?"

Shen Mei’s grip tightened around her cup.

Were they...?

Were Alphas still the same monsters she had always feared, even now?

Even when it was him?

Her thoughts drifted back to earlier—the café, the car, that scent she couldn’t place at the time. Warm. Deep. Whisky and rosewood.

Her breath caught.

That had been him.

A strange feeling twisted in her chest, something that made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. It didn’t feel real, and yet it was undeniably real. She took a slow breath, trying to steady herself as she lifted her cup again.

When she looked at him, something felt wrong.

He wasn’t happy.

Not even a little.

"Shen Yu... why aren’t you happy?" she asked quietly.

He let out a low chuckle, his gaze drifting toward the blank television. "Why should I be happy, Mei? Be happy that they’ll come flooding back like bees to honey? Try to make me their precious son again... the one they discarded?"

Shen Mei froze, her gaze dropping immediately.

They never discarded you... that’s what she had always believed. They loved both of us. Don’t say that...

The words stayed trapped inside her. Because what if she was wrong? And worse—what if saying that pushed him away?

So she stayed silent.

After a moment, she forced a small smile and looked up again. "Maybe you could work with Taehyun... weren’t you always friends?" she suggested gently.

Shen Yu didn’t respond. He just looked at her, quietly, as if searching for something beneath her words.

Did she really not know... or was she pretending not to?

That question had always lingered in his mind.

He hated fake people—people who wore masks and deceived others without hesitation. But he couldn’t hate her.

Because behind every smile she gave, there was pain.

Pain he hadn’t protected her from.

Pain he hadn’t even seen soon enough.

A quiet sigh escaped him before he suddenly leaned forward and pulled her into a hug.

Shen Mei stiffened in shock. "W-What’s wrong...? Why are you suddenly being affectionate? You’re scaring me," she said nervously.

He didn’t let go. Instead, he held her tighter.

"Stop trying to be strong when you’re with me," he murmured softly. "I won’t hurt you, A-Mei."

Her arms hesitated in the air, her body tense, her thoughts racing with unease.

What if—

But then the scent reached her.

Warm. Steady. Whisky and rosewood.

It wrapped around her like something protective, something grounding—not overwhelming, not suffocating.

Safe.

Her breath hitched.

And the tears she had been holding back finally slipped free.

Her hands moved, gripping tightly onto Shen Yu’s shoulders as her body trembled, and she buried her face against him, her quiet sobs breaking through the silence of the penthouse.

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